Someone like You
by OTH-FOQ
Summary: Stefan dies. Elena learns to live with that. S/E D/E C/E K/E Short story, pretty good I think. You tell me.


_Where to start ? I don't own TVD, but that's no surprise._

_This story was originally supposed to be a Stefan/Elena one-shot, but it turned out otherwise._

**Warning**_ : Hints of femslash at the end. Don't like ? Don't read the end ! lol_

_Give me some feedback please ! I'd like to know what you think of my work :)_

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><p>She learns his death almost five months after he called her. It's Katherine who tells her that Stefan sacrificed himself one last time to save them all. Her doppelganger seems cold and detached, and if her redden eyes hadn't given her away, Elena would have thought that it didn't matter to her. Katherine will never admit it, though. She's tough. Elena understands that she was saying the truth (about coming back for Stefan) the minute she opens the door and sees her.<p>

Her words ring to her ears and somehow she just can't process it. _Stefan is dead_. He will never come back. She'll never find comfort in his arms again, never see his green eyes gazing into hers. And Elena knows she's dying inside too. Katherine stays a week in Mystic Falls. She gives time to Elena, and isn't surprised when her young doppelganger comes to ask her for the details.

Katherine tells everything. She saw everything. How Klaus found out that Elena was still alive, that she was the reason he couldn't create hybrids. How he confronted Stefan about it and how her boyfriend lied to the Original the best way he could. How Klaus eventually wanted to come back here. She tells her that she had no idea of what Stefan had in mind. She tried to talk to him but he wouldn't listen, always saying that he had a plan. The day came when Klaus said it was time to leave. That's when Stefan acted. He shot Klaus with several wooden bullets, perfectly aware that it wouldn't hurt the hybrid. But it would piss him off. Klaus charged at Stefan and plunged his hand into the youngest Salvatore's chest while Stefan did exactly the same to him. They died together. Katherine also mentions the fact that she took care of Stefan's body and slaughtered Klaus' one before burning it and dispersing the pieces everywhere on earth. Elena doesn't flinch at the bloody details Katherine gives her. She needs to hear it all.

Stefan is gone forever. He died to save her, again. He died for love. And it kills her because there are so many things she wishes she could've told him, but it's too late. And it hurts to think that she and Damon are alive thanks to him. That he paid the price for saving their lives. She's alone in this. And it might sounds selfish, because Damon just lost his brother, but he didn't lose the love of his life. Katherine is still alive. She's free. There's no threat upon her anymore. The Originals are all dead, at least to some extend. And Elena knows that despite his love for her, Damon will always have a special place in his heart for Katherine. After all, she brought back Stefan's body to where it belonged. She took a lot of risks looking after him, even knowing that he didn't love her back. Elena admires her secretly for that.

Things are what they are now. Elena lost half of the people she loved the most on Earth. But it's different for Stefan. He was supposed to stay with her, to watch her getting older, and maybe being the one to turn her into a vampire in a few years. Now that he's gone, Elena only wants to join him on the _other side_. But she knows she will not do that to herself. She thinks about all the people who would like to live, she thinks about Jenna, her parents, Stefan, and she knows she won't kill herself. He wouldn't want that for her.

She smiles, but she doesn't fool anyone. Her eyes are empty, hollow. No one speaks about him, it's like he never existed. But she knows better. They're just afraid to see her going crazy, or burst into tears at any moment. She's not like that. Elena always waits to be alone before letting her tears fall down. At night she dreams about Stefan, and these dreams often turn into nightmares. She finds herself screaming his name and suddenly wakes up with tears streaming down her face.

She doesn't want to lose Damon as well but it seems that they are drifting further apart every day a bit more. It's funny to see that when Stefan was away, they got closer than ever, but now that he's gone _forever_, they just can't stand to look at each other. Damon slowly falls back into his old patterns, drinking too much and getting angry more easily. But Elena doesn't try to reason him. She understands his pain. He just lost his little brother.

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><p>A month after his death, three weeks after Katherine's departure, Elena announces that she's leaving town. She can't take it anymore. Everything here reminds her of Stefan and it doesn't help. Alaric and Jeremy protest, Bonnie and Caroline remain silent, and Damon just shrugs. They want to know where she's going, but she has no idea. Far away from Mystic Falls, that's all she knows. Elena doesn't have the strength to argue when Caroline tells her that she'll drive her wherever she wants.<p>

So they leave five days later, after saying goodbye to everyone. The ride is silent for the most part, but they don't mind. Elena lets Caroline drive and doesn't complain when she realizes they're heading to New-York. Maybe a big city is what she needs right now. It takes them a day to get there but there's no rush. Caroline talks about Tyler and Matt, and how she's lost since the blonde boy finally admitted that he still had feelings for her. Elena listens, sometimes muttering an answer to show to her friend that she's not talking in the wind. And suddenly Caroline stops and apologizes. Her friend has just lost the love of the life and she can't say anything else than how much she loves Tyler and Matt. The vampire slaps herself mentally for being so stupid. Elena says it's okay. She wasn't really paying attention anyway. Because she keeps thinking about Stefan.

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><p>The motel is cheap but comfortable enough. The girls share a room, they sleep in the same bed. Caroline has full control of herself, she's never tempted to kill Elena and drink her blood. It makes her remember how Stefan had helped her with her cravings, had told her how to fight the urges. Elena is grateful to have Caroline here. It makes her feel a bit less lonely. But she knows her friend can't understand fully what's going on in her mind. They go out, visit town, go to bars and clubs, always together. At night when she cries, she feels Caroline's arms around her, and Elena manages to calm herself.<p>

Then on a rainy Saturday, two weeks later, Caroline announces that she's going to the hospital for blood bags. Elena is still in bed, half asleep, when she hears a soft knock on the door. She frowns, because it can't be Caroline already, and she's not expecting anyone else. But she opens the door nonetheless and freezes when she sees who's standing behind it.

Katherine.

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><p>"<strong>What are you doing h<strong>**ere ?"**

Katherine walks in and answers :

"**You sent me a message with your address. I came."**

Elena immediately says :

"**I didn't send you anything."**

"**Oh, really ?"**

The vampire pulls her phone out of her pocket and hands it out to her doppelganger.

"**See by yourself."**

And indeed there's a message, and it's her phone number, but Elena is sure… Suddenly she understands it all. Only one person has access to her phone. Caroline. Apparently, Katherine seems to have guessed what happened because she smiles.

"**Now why would Blondie ask me to come over ?"**

"**I thought you'd be the only person to truly understand what Elena is going through."**

The doppelgangers turn round to see Caroline in the door frame, looking at Elena with a sheepish look.

"**You'd better explain yourself Caroline."**

"**I already said it all."**

"**Do you expect me to stay here ?"** Katherine asks.

"**Well, it's not like you have anything else to do. Besides, you lost the love of your life too."**

Katherine and Elena shares a quick glance.

"**I'm leaving, Elena. And I don't want you to be alone."**

"**Do you think the others would agree for me to be with her ? What would they say ?"**

"**Actually, I'm not planning to tell them. I'm going back to Mystic Falls and you're not coming with me."**

"**Why not ?"**

"**Because you're not ready."**

Caroline rushes to the bathroom and, a second later, she's back at the door with a suitcase in her hand.

"**Well, looks like you had it all planned."**

"**I'm sorry. I have to go. I'm not the one you need, Elena. But we'll see each other again, don't worry."**

And then she disappears. They're alone now. Elena and Katherine. For a brief moment, no one speaks. Then Katherine laughs bitterly and starts to walk to the door. Elena's voice stops her :

"**Wait."**

The vampire looks at the young girl and raises an eyebrow.

"**Stay."**

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><p>She doesn't know why Katherine accepted to stay that day, but she doesn't regret asking her to. It's been almost two months since Caroline went back to Mystic Falls and her doppelganger is still around. Much to her surprise, they're getting on really well. At first, it was awkward and messed up. But eventually, they started to open their hearts a little to each other. Katherine told Elena about 1864 and her feelings for Stefan. She also explained how she managed to check in on him during all these years. Elena listened, impressed by the love she could feel when Katherine was talking about Stefan. She realizes quickly that Caroline was right. She does need Katherine. She is the only person who understands. Elena tells her ancestor about the life she had planned for her and Stefan, about the things she'd never share with him. It takes a few weeks however for them to make a physical contact. One night, Elena bursts into tears and she doesn't know how to stop. She's crying like she's never cried before. Not only for Stefan, but for the fucked-up life she has. She doesn't hear Katherine entering the room. She only notices her presence when she feels a hand on her shoulder. And when she turns round, she can see that Katherine's eyes are shining like she's trying to hold back her tears. The next second, she's got her arms wrapped around her neck, pulling her as close as possible to her own body. After what seems like an eternity, Elena had pulled away.<p>

They don't talk about it. They never try to pretend to be okay. Katherine doesn't cry, she can't allow herself to, even though she's dying inside. But there's Elena, and Elena needs her. She needs her to be strong. So she puts on a brave face, and comforts the young girl every time she seems to be losing her calm.

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><p>One day, Elena wakes up and feels different. It seems like she can almost breathe freely. The weight on her chest is a bit lighter. And she smiles. She smiles because she knows it's getting better. It's time to heal. She thinks about Stefan and her love for him, and how it'll never fade. She really wishes he was still here with her, but this time she doesn't cry. Elena gets out of bed and only then realizes that Katherine's not here. She's not worried though, it's not the first time Katherine's gone in the morning. It still is awkward to wake up next to her, so she perfectly understands.<p>

But Katherine doesn't come back and it's almost twilight. She's never been gone for so long. Elena paces back and forth in the small apartment they're currently occupying. Yes, Katherine compelled the owner, and yes, Elena knows it's not fair but they're a bit out of cash lately. Strangely, they keep sleeping in the same bed, even though one of them could sleep on the couch, it's comfortable enough. She waits, tries to do something but her mind doesn't want to let go of Katherine. Maybe something happened to her.

After another whole hour of waiting, the door bangs open and reveals a half-conscious, bleeding Katherine. Elena instantly rushes to her side.

"**Katherine ! Oh my God what happened ?"**

The vampire doesn't answer and leans on Elena's shoulder to keep walking. Then she lets herself fall onto the sofa and sighs.

"**Klaus' sister… Rebekah. ****She's alive. Was. She was still alive. I… didn't know."**

Elena doesn't understand who she's talking about, but she whispers soothing words and gently strikes Katherine's hair.

"**It's okay, it's over, you're safe…"**

"**Blood. I can't… heal. I need blood."**

Elena reaches the fridge in no time and picks up two blood bags. She opens them and gives them to her doppelganger who empties them within a minute.

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><p>Katherine explains everything to Elena. Stefan's history with Rebekah, her link to Klaus and Elijah, and how she found her and attacked her while she was going back to the apartment.<p>

"**I didn't know about her… Didn't know she was back. I thought Klaus had killed his entire family, but obviously he undaggered her. Stefan didn't tell me about her, and I had no idea she was a vampire. An Original."**

"**She let you go ?"**

"**No."**

"**Then…"**

"**She's dead."**

Elena opens her mouth to speak but Katherine speaks first.

"**I always have a dagger with white ashes on me. I know, it's creepy, but I'm a bit paranoiac since 1492."**

"**What did you do to the body ?"**

"**Elena, haven't you noticed how hurt I was when I came back ? I had to fight the chick ! I hid her in a disused alley. I'm going back now. And then we should move out."**

"**Wait, wait, wait… You just came back, you need to rest. Stay for a while."**

"**I'll rest when I come back."**

"**Then let me come with you."**

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><p>Their relationship is weird. Elena keeps saying this to herself but she doesn't try to change anything about it. She likes it this way. There's an ambiguity between her and Katherine that makes her feel a little nervous. She enjoys the proximity that they share, their bonding. Sometimes when she looks in Katherine's eyes, she can see the spark in them, and she <em>knows<em> what it means. She couldn't explain it though. Something has changed recently. Elena feels alive again.

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><p>One night, as they come back pretty drunk from a crowded bar, they crash onto the sofa and laugh, their fingers entwined. It's been one hell of a night, Elena thinks. It's the first time she laughs so much since her parents' death and she realizes just how much she had missed it.<p>

They stop eventually, and Elena isn't surprised when she sees Katherine's eyes darken. It's not the bloodlust, no. It's something else. Something that makes Elena melt down. It's just pure lust. And she leans forward. Maybe that's a mistake, but she couldn't care less. If there's any regret, she'll blame it on the alcohol tomorrow. Their lips meet, and Elena knows _right away_ that this isn't a mistake. It feels _too right_, _too normal_ to be wrong.

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><p>When she comes to think about it, she realizes that there's only one good thing that results from Stefan's death. It brought her Katherine. And of course, she will always love Stefan, just as Katherine will. They loved the same man, and this man loved them both. Somehow, it's just the only way they could move on. Together. The lingering presence of Stefan's ghost will always remain between them. But instead of tearing them apart, it only brings them closer to each other.<p>

Yes, Elena feels alive again. In fact, she feels more alive than she ever did in her whole life. And once again, she thanks Stefan for being this guy. For being her hero.

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><p><em>So, nothing big between Katherine &amp; Elena, right ? It's all implicit. I didn't feel like writing something less subtle.<em>

_Did you like it ? Or not ? Tell me :)_

**OTH-FOQ**


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